Santa Maria and girlfriend plead not guilty to witness bribery

WORCESTER — Patsy Santa Maria Jr. and his girlfriend, Ashleigh M. vanGerven, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges stemming from an alleged attempt to bribe a witness in Mr. Santa Maria's August trial on assault charges.

Mr. Santa Maria, 42, and Ms. vanGerven, 28, both of 15 Old Orchard Circle, Boylston, were each arraigned in Worcester Superior Court on charges of witness intimidation and conspiracy to intimidate a witness. The charges relate to what police and prosecutors said was a plot to pay a scheduled witness at Mr. Santa Maria's trial up to $25,000 to alter his testimony to make it appear Mr. Santa Maria was acting in self-defense when he assaulted another man in 2011 at Pat's Service Center and Towing on Shrewsbury Street, a business owned by Mr. Santa Maria's father.

The witness was allegedly offered money to testify that he sent the victim, one of his employees, to Pat's to forcibly collect money owed to him by the elder Mr. Santa Maria. Prosecutors alleged that the the man was assaulted by Patsy Santa Maria Jr. and his brother, David Santa Maria, and that the attack was unprovoked.

Patsy Santa Maria Jr. ended up pleading guilty before the trial ended, and the witness was never called to the stand.

He, Ms. vanGerven and a North Brookfield landscaper, Scott K. Johnson, were indicted Monday on witness intimidation and conspiracy charges in connection with the alleged bribery attempt.

Mr. Johnson, 45, of 100 Old East Brookfield Road, North Brookfield, is awaiting arraignment in Worcester Superior Court.

Mr. Santa Maria's 70-year-old father, Patsy Santa Maria Sr., is also a co-defendant in the case and has similar charges pending against him in Central District Court.

Judge Shannon Frison released Ms. vanGerven on personal recognizance Friday, and the younger Mr. Santa Maria was released from custody after posting a total of $15,000 cash bail. Both cases were continued to Dec. 18.

The amount of Mr. Santa Maria's bail had been agreed to by Assistant District Attorney Terrence M. Reidy and Mr. Santa Maria's lawyer, Peter L. Ettenberg. Bail on the intimidation and conspiracy charges was set at $10,000 cash.

Mr. Santa Maria was also required to post $5,000 cash bail on pending charges arising from what prosecutors have described as a 2009 "racial attack" on two men of Mexican descent at the Shrewsbury Street towing company. Those charges include kidnapping, assault and battery to intimidate with bodily injury, assault and battery causing serious bodily injury and civil rights violations with injuries.

Prosecutors have said the alleged victims, a 48-year-old man and his 20-year-old son, were assaulted and subjected to racial slurs after a dispute arose over the younger man's car being towed.

A Jan. 21 trial date has been set in that case for Mr. Santa Maria and Luke and Matthew Dusoe, who both worked at Pat's at the time of the alleged attack.

Mr. Santa Maria's $5,000 cash bail in the case was revoked for 60 days in September, when he was initially arraigned in Central District Court on charges stemming from the alleged bribery attempt. He remained in custody without bail until Friday, when the 60 days elapsed and the bail was again set at $5,000.

David Santa Maria, 44, is awaiting trial on aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery causing serious bodily injury charges arising from the alleged 2011 assault at his father's place of business. His case has been continued to Dec. 18 for the setting of a trial date.

The elder Mr. Santa Maria has filed a civil lawsuit over the termination of his company's towing contract with the city.